Journals kept by Speiden, purser's clerk
on the USS Mississippi (sidewheel steamer), a flagship during the U.S. naval expedition
to Japan led by Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry, 1852-1854. Speiden provided a
detailed account of the reception given to Perry and his party and of deliberations
between Perry and representatives of the emperor of Japan held in Yokohama-shi, Japan.
Speiden also described life at sea, calls at ports on the East Coast of the United
States, investigation of fishing rights in Canadian waters, and international stops made
during the expedition to Japan. Journals include illustrations.